Ambassadors For Christ
Ambassadors For Christ
If you visit any capital city of the world, you will find embassies of various nations. Ambassadors represent
their country and people. If you are abroad and find yourself in trouble, you can contact your embassy and they
should do everything in their power to help you.
We are called to be ambassadors for Christ. In ourselves we are nothing compared with God; just the ‘dust of the earth’.
As Christians, we have been adopted into the family of Christ, and are ‘fellow heirs of the promises of God’. We share
many privileges, because of what Jesus has done for us. He died on the cruel cross of Calvary to redeem us from the curse
of mankind.
We are important, because of whom we represent, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We must always
be on our best behaviour, because we want to honour the King, out of love and devotion to Him,
and we do not want to bring His name into disrepute.
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Gandhi
Gandhi said once "If I ever find a real Christian, I will become one". People can judge if Christianity is
true by what they see in your life. Most people do not want to be preached at; they want to see Christianity
in action. We may be able to talk the talk, but can we walk the walk? Actions speak louder than words, and remember
a smile cost nothing. "…Desire to live honourably" Hebrews 13:18.
We are meant to reflect the glory of the risen Lord. We must always be thinking about the reputation of our
Royal Master. There was a sign put up in a hotel staff room, from the manager, which read, ‘My reputation
is in your hands’.
In some ways God’s reputation is in your hands; we can lead people away from God by the way in which we act
or speak. God’s love is meant to flow from us towards the people. People should be drawn towards us,
not repelled from us.
You could do ten good things and only one bad thing, but unfortunately the one bad thing is usually remembered
the most. "Remember…those who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome
of their conduct".
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How Do I Know If God Is Calling Me?
A missionary call to become a front line ambassador!’ What constitutes a call? It is the summons of God to your heart,
for a special and specific service. You will not perceive it through senses, or reason it through the mind. It is
intangible and indefinable. But when you know, you know. The Spirit will quicken it to you. It will be as the breath
of God upon your spirit, the spirit of man will understand, know, and respond. Jeremiah 10:23 "O Lord, I know the way
of man is not in himself; it is not man who walks to direct his own steps."
When Jesus said, "Go", He meant what He said. The commission to service is a very inclusive command to ‘preach the
gospel to every creature’. But the general call is followed by an individual designation. "The fields are white unto
harvest." (John 4:35).
The total collection of fields is the whole world. You need to hear the order, which will tell you where your own field
is; your appointed sphere of work; your plot of ground; and when you are there, then you can start to break up your
fallow ground (Jeremiah 4:3). Plough, sow the right seeds, water them and watch them grow for the glory of God. ‘I planted
the seeds, Apollos watered them and God gave the increase.’ (1 Cor. 3:6, 7).
A call to the foreign field or a mission trip is absolutely unmistakable to those who experience it. You may not like the
call, but for your sakes and the sakes of those you are called for; you had better obey, ‘lest the blood be upon your
head.’ (Ezekiel 3: 18, 20).
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The Best Place To Win Souls For Christ Is Wherever You Are Today!
It could be at school, college or work. If you never make the effort to witness to people that you are close to,
say your neighbours, friends, fellow students or colleagues, then don’t even waste your time on a mission trip,
because your heart is not right with the Lord.
Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" John 14:15. "If you have run with the footmen and they
have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? If in the land of peace in which you trusted they
wearied you, then how will you do in the flooding of Jordan?” Jeremiah 12:5.
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There is More
The more experience you have in living the Christian life the better. You may not be a Christian of many years,
but you may have had deep dealing with God. Psalm 51:17. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken
and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise".
It is all found in the Word, in prayer and having fellowship with believers who are mature in the Lord. Whatever
your status, you have not arrived and there is always more to learn. When you are on the mission field there may
be nobody to help you form good habits of life, rising early, punctuality, methodical study, conscientious
preparation and considerations of other people peculiarities.
Learn these good habits now; otherwise you may get tripped up later on, while on mission work. Isaiah 28:10
"For precept must be upon precept…line upon line, line upon line, here a little there a little".
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Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22,23 tells us about the fruit of the Spirit which needs to be worked out in our life: ‘Love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, meekness, faithfulness and self-control’.
Fruit is singular, it all stems from love, as ‘love does no harm to its neighbour’. (Romans 13:10). Galatians 5:25
"If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit".
We are all a bit rough around the edges when we first come to Christ; then as the Master Potter, He begins to mould
us and shape us through the various trials of life and by the people we encounter.
Often it is not how we act, but by how we react to situations that we can evaluate our progress in maturity. Isaiah 48:10
"I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction". Isaiah 55:8 "For My thoughts are
not your thoughts and My ways are not your ways says the Lord". Lamentations 3:27,28 "It is good for a man to bear the
yoke in his youth…because God has laid it upon him".
1 Timothy 4:12 "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct,
in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
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Mission Preparation
If we are to go on a mission trip then it really makes sense to find out a little about the place where you
are going. What language do they speak? Do they have a second language? What is their culture like?
What are their beliefs? How do their beliefs and what the Bible says differ? Hosea 4:6, 6:3 "My people are
destroyed from lack of knowledge". "…Pursue the knowledge of the Lord". It is good to have firm foundations.
Remember we may not have all the answers, but if we have a testimony then that is the start.
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Mission Testimony
We know how God has changed us, and how He can change others. I was on a short-term mission trip to North Africa.
We spent about four days with a Muslim man, over a couple of weeks, and he was more impressed about my testimony
than about anything else we had said. It is only what God has done in me by His grace; all the glory must go to Him.
On another occasion I was on a four-hour train journey, so I struck up a conversation with this Muslim man. He told
me, "I know what you are saying is true because I can see it in your eyes".
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Bible College
If you are going to go to the mission field for many years or even permanently then you should seriously
consider and pray about being trained at a Bible college or through a mission society. Bible College Directory
This is a sister site of ByFaith. You will see UK based Bible colleges
and more information on what to look for in a college; and much more.
Bible colleges should be there to strengthen unity amongst the body of Christ;but not to produce conformity. We are all
individuals who are hopefully striving for the same goal, to glorify Jesus and to make Him known throughout the ends of
the earth.
At college you will meet all sorts of people from many cultures, and everyone like you will have problems that
they are working through.
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Difficulties
The difficulties that you will encounter should be such as to better train and equip you for the ministry. When you go
to the gym and exercise, it is hard work; your muscles can get fatigued and ache. But the pain allows the muscles to
stretch and to grow. As you keep up the exercise and return to the gym weekly, the pain will go away as your body gets
used to the pressures exerted upon it. If you want to get even fitter or stronger, then you have to keep pushing yourself
more and more every week. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and 1 Timothy 4:8).
When you go to train it is an excellent time to really study the Word of God and to master as much of it as you can
(1 Timothy 1:12, 4:13,15). We are people of choice, but we should always be submissive and open and ready to accept
discipline. (Romans 13:1,2 and Hebrew 13:17).
When you are in training it is usually the last opportunity in a person’s life to hear the truth about themselves,
from people whose desire is to love and train them for the ministry. It is usual for a more experienced person to show
a younger one what they lack. The onlooker can often see mistakes with a clearness, which has become impossible for the
one with the problem to see. The younger one should accept this discipline done in love, like a father to a son, a Paul
and Timothy situation. (1 Timothy 1:5,18, 4:6, 2 Timothy 2:1,2). Joshua was trained under Moses and Elisha under
Elijah.
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Character Change?
You have no guarantee that when you go away on mission that a radical change in your character will take place.
You need to be broken by God before you go. That way you have less of an opportunity to rock the boat!
"Endurance is a mental quality," said Captain Scott, and on that basis he selected the members of his Antarctic expedition.
When you are away on mission, you will be watched very closely; every characteristic, talent, hobby, social time,
indulgences, failing, idiosyncrasies and sin will be seen and can lead to a downfall.
I was in North Africa on one occasion as part of a team of twelve. We visited an oasis of sorts, where one of our lady
members got into the water wearing her pink swimming costume. Now there is nothing wrong in that except, she forgot that
she was in a Muslim country, and there were lots of men already there who had not seen this sort of a sight before.
In some towns, for a man to walk around showing his knees is considered rude.
In other countries showing the soles of your feet is considered rude. It pays to be wise and to use common sense. In parts
of Africa, ladies uncovering their arms are considered loose women.
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Papua New Guinea Testimony
I was chatting to a missionary who had gone to Papua New Guinea in the 1970s who had some great stories to tell.
He lived amongst a tribe for four years.
He learnt their language, made them an alphabet, taught them how to read and started to translate some of the Scriptures.
He was retelling a story how at meal times his family would bow their heads and say grace. Some natives were peering
through the lattices in the hut and wondered why they were praying to the flowers on the table!
On another occasion they were eating macaroni and the natives said that they were eating monkey brains. I will add that
he saw fellow missionaries die in the line of duty and he himself was wounded by another tribe’s arrow. "…They did not
love their life to the death" Revelation 12:11.
Each mans contribution may look very small and inadequate, but each contribution is part of the whole. "…Of all nations,
tribes, peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes…"Revelation 7:9.
Everybody has the right to hear the gospel. It can be done and we are not alone. Each member of the body of Christ has
his part to play.
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Why Am I Doing This?
You have to ask yourself, before you embark on your journey of training, why am I doing this? You need to have these
ideas and the commission clear and straightened out in your own mind. As an ambassador for the King of Kings we go in
obedience to the Holy Spirit, the inner witness. (Acts 8:29,39; 10:19; 11:12,28; 13:2; 16:6,7. "The Holy Spirit said",
"Showed by the Spirit" etc.)
We are told to preach, teach and to plead with men to be reconciled back to God, with ‘signs and wonders following’.
‘The Prince of this world’ (Ephesians 2:2) wants to get all men, but Jesus has conquered him (Colossians 2:15).
We are authorised to declare freedom for the captives, for those who will bow the knee to Jesus.
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Paul’s Training In Arabia
Before Paul embarked on his missionary journeys he had an experience in Arabia (Galatians 1:17:18). Paul was highly
educated (Philippians 3:4-8, Acts 22:3), yet that was not enough. Paul is silent as to what happened in Arabia, but
God was dealing with him. Because of what God showed him, he was able to get on with his personal commission and to
complete it.
2 Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." The disciples were
trained under Jesus for about three years, seeing practical and demonstrative power in action. It is usually lack
of experience, which accounts for incomplete, undisciplined, unripe, and immaturity among missionaries. We have to
learn to be victorious in our normal surroundings, so we will be ready to fight bigger battles.
The evangelisation of the world is not going to be easy. There will be desperate struggles as we will face all kinds
of opposition, whether from the devil or from man. Therefore stay close to the cross and seek wisdom and be led by the
Holy Spirit.
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Courtesy
An ambassador should use every form of courtesy among the people to whom his appointments take him,
speaking their language and adapting to their culture and manner of life, yet not compromising the
gospel in any way, shape of form.
We must love the people that we are going to and feel nothing but love, compassion and pity. We are to try
to be ‘all things to all men’ (1 Corinthians 9:22) and to try to live ‘at peace with all men’ (Romans 12:18).
Punctuality, tidiness and general considerations are great qualities to have. Only soundness of thought can
lead to a soundness of method. The best way for this is to see how ‘things’ were done in the scripture.
Romans 15:4 "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning."
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Standards
Cleanliness is next to godliness. You have to remember that the people that you may be going to may not have the same
qualities or standards as you. We are not to let our standards down for a moment, but we are meant to be disciplined
people and also flexible to meet the needs of the people.
I hate smoking; the smell is awful. Yet on mission trips I have gone into smoke filled cafes to meet the people. Smoking
is wrong as you are slowly killing your self. I am not an evening person, but I will stay out late whilst meeting people
to help them, and to minister to their needs. I am willing to break an agreement with friends, for example by saying,
‘tomorrow we will go there’, but I later have an opportunity on the next day to meet a serious seeker of God; or when
a higher calling is involved. A fellow mature believer will understand, and they could even be invited along. We need
to be wise in what we do, say and act.
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Rest A While
Jesus’ life was busy and sometimes He did not have time to eat, but He always found time to pray! Wherever it was: early
in the morning (Mark 1:35) or late (Matthew 14:23) at night or all night in the case of when he chose His disciples.
(Luke 6:12) He told his disciples to ‘come aside and rest awhile’ (Mark 6:31). All work and no play will make Jack a
dull boy!
As an ambassador of Jesus, you are bearing a message from the King of Kings. You are a preacher, but not a preacher of
sermons, a preacher of the gospel. You are a sower; a sower of thoughts, whose harvest is action. You are a teacher,
and must tell them ‘the whole counsel of God’ (Acts 20:27).
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The Holy Spirit Teaches Converts
The Holy Spirit is the Teacher of the converts, He is able to sustain them, to guide them into all truth and give
them an inheritance amongst the saint. Acts 20:32 "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His
grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified".
If you embark on mission trips or full time service, you will not regret it. Service to God is a wonderful calling
(I never said easy!) But ‘God’s power is made perfect in weakness’; we have to surrender our will, and be obedient
to His.
We must serve God without reservations, and ‘do not look back’. We have to ‘bear our cross daily’, always ‘looking
unto Jesus’. As ‘Jesus is the Light, so we are the light.’ He is the whole light, but as rays convey and exhibit the light
of the sun, so his disciples exhibit His light and glory to the world. We are the visible expression of His sovereign
majesty. When we are hungry we can be supplied from the ‘Bread of life’ and there is a well of ‘living water from which
we can drink from at all times’. Let us be Ambassadors for Christ, for His glory, by His grace.
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